


"Salt Shaker" - Tsukishima Kei x Reader/ Original Character (OC)

by ChromaAloe



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Childhood Sweethearts, Crows, Dinosaurs, Eventual Romance, F/M, High School, Jokes, Karasuno, Love, Nekoma, Slow Romance, Sports, Teasing, Teenagers, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-10-11 21:44:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10475100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChromaAloe/pseuds/ChromaAloe
Summary: There is just something about childhood friends. The best ones know where you came from, accept who you have become, and are by your side going into the future. When such a relationship survives, past any and all hardships, there are memories and feelings that just cannot be replaced. Tsukishima Kei, Yamaguchi Tadashi, and their best friend have been together for almost as long as they can remember. Nothing, not even distance or their darkest times, has ever kept them apart. They are now starting high school, and each element of the trio is transforming on many levels, but not all at once. A certain bond is developing between two of them, and it could be for the better or for the worse.





	1. First Days

**Author's Note:**

> I know I do not have to defend my literary choices, but I just want to clarify that, despite the title saying this is "x Reader," I gave the female love interest a name. That is why I put "/ Original Character (OC)." I feel like it is easier to read an actual name instead of "[Your Name]" or "[Y/N]" (I'm sorry if you disagree. I still love reading "x Reader" fics by other people, but it's hard for me to write it or put things in second person for my own works). Also, this way, if something written about the character does not pertain to you in any way then you are reminded that it is about someone else. I kept it "x Reader" because a reader can pretend that the name written is their own and mentally put themselves in the character's shoes.
> 
> *I know there is an extension to put in your own name when things like "[Your Name]" appears, but it is not available on mobile, so I wouldn't want people to be left out in that regard.
> 
> Thank for taking the time to read this note. I hope you stick around until the end and enjoy the following story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy.

“Nē, Aki-chan, have you decided to join the girls’ volleyball team?”

“Hai,” I replied. “I already have the application filled out and everything.”

“Wow. Didn’t you just pick up the application from the bulletin before the break?”

We had just finished lunch and were awaiting the beginning of our next class. Today was only the first day of school, so I’m sure it seemed like I was a little too eager for the season to begin. I didn’t even know what the team was like or the gym or anything, really.

I let out a nervous laugh at my own enthusiasm, “I just like to be prepared is all.” Tadashi laughed along with me in a friendly way, so I felt less embarrassed. My grades were proof enough of my usual preparedness and he knew that.

“Tsukki and I are going to pick up the boy’s application at the end of the day and turn it in before we go home.”

“I’ll wait by the gates for you guys after I turn in mine.”

“Arigatō,” he smiled.

Our sensei returned and Yamaguchi turned back around to face the front of the classroom. I turned to my left to tap the boy who was sleeping behind him. The blonde opened his eyes and sat up, removing his headphones. He gave a silent acknowledgement and I knew that was all I was going to get from him, which was okay because I’ve known him long enough to understand it’s just how Tsukishima is.

The three of us were seated in the back, left corner of the room because of our heights. If we had sat any further up, surely the ones sitting behind us would have trouble seeing. Tsukishima was the tallest at 188 cm, Tadashi was about 179, and I was around 175. There were times I felt like a freak with my height as girl, but I’ve been fortunate enough to be surround by tall people most of my life, so I’ve tried to embrace it and reap its’ benefits. That’s one of the reasons why I felt very lucky to be friends with Tsukki and Tadashi, and especially for as long as we have.

I had just reached the gates at the end of the day when someone sped by extremely close on their bicycle. I didn’t get any sort of good look at them. The wind they whipped up blew my hair around and obstructed my vision while I was trying to hold my skirt down. But, I did see a blur of orange and heard the rider shout, “Gomen’nasai!” I was peeved that someone would be so careless while other students were still around, but there was nothing I could do now. I was fussing with my long locks to get them out of my face and tame them when I recognized a student who was passing by. They didn’t notice my staring as they walked around the corner, but I knew exactly who they were.

“Akira-san!” Yamaguchi waved. A few minute later, him and Tsukishima had finally caught up.

“You won’t believe who I just saw,” I exclaimed to them. They raised eyebrows and awaited my announcement, “The King of the Court himself, Kageyama Tobio.”

They both looked at me with wide eyes until Tsukishima narrowed his and asked, “Are you sure it was him?”

“Absolutely. And he was wearing a Karasuno High School uniform.” His face scrunched in disgust. Tsukishima knew that Kageyama would surely join the volleyball club and they would now be teammates. This did not appeal to him in the least.

“Tch. This is gonna be such a pain.” If Tsukishima didn’t care about volleyball as much as he did, he probably would just not join so he wouldn’t have to deal with the infamous setter. As annoyed as he looked, he didn’t mention anything about quitting.

I could sense the impending drama that would unfold between them. Poor Yamaguchi would have to endure it as well because he certainly was not about to give up if Tsukishima wasn’t. Then there was me, who would definitely hear all about it. Tsukishima had a knack for provoking others and I could only imagine what their first meeting would be like.

☆

The next day I got the word that the girls’ volleyball club would have their first practice tomorrow. There was a flurry of excitement and anxiety rushing through me most of the day. I didn’t say anything about my personal anticipation to Tsukishima or Yamaguchi, but I did make them aware of the practice. They informed me they would be starting tomorrow as well, and I wished them all the luck in the world with meeting Kageyama.

“Are you trying out for wing spiker tomorrow?” Yamaguchi questioned.

“Mhmm,” I hummed while I was still chewing on some yakiniku. Once I swallowed I added, “Depending on how tall the rest of the girls are, maybe I could be a middle blocker instead.”

The three of us were sitting on a set of steps outside the school as we ate our bentos.

“Even Godzilla is cuter than you. If you pop your head above the net, they’ll all just die of fright. Don’t you think that’d be a bit too cruel?” I reared my elbow back into Tsukishima’s shin. I didn’t do it hard enough to injure him, but I did show I was irked by his comment. His smirk lessened a small bit, but he was still as smug as ever looking down at me from a step above us.

“Yeah, well, you get along with people as well as cats and dogs get along. It wouldn’t surprise me if they terminated you the first day for not cooperating.”

“At least the three of us are still together,” Tadashi pointed out.

“That’s because Tsukishima is a demon and keeps us around because he lives off of slowly stealing our souls to make himself taller.” Tsukishima’s smirk returned at full power as if I was complimenting him, and I rolled my eyes.

“It seems to be working.” We couldn’t help but all laugh at Yamaguchi’s comment. Well, Tsukki didn’t _really_ laugh, but a quick, rare and genuine smile was enough to know he thought it was as funny as we did.

☆

I all but flew to the first gymnasium after school the next day. I had my backpack and volleyball bag hiked up on my shoulders and briskly entered the large space. I was amazed at the enormity. Amemaru Middle School hadn’t been that bad, but this high school gym was a step up. We would be sharing this place with the boys’ basketball team too. I caught sight of a few girls off to the side and was sure this was who I was here to meet. They noticed me approaching and gave inviting smiles.

“Are you here for the girls’ volleyball team?” It seemed like a silly question at first, but they probably just thought I could have been someone lost from another club, so I immediately let it go.

“Hai.” I bowed. “My name is Hoshimoto Akira, Year-1, Class-4. I look forward to playing together this season. I will do my best to be an asset to the team. It’s nice to meet you. Please be kind to me."

When I straightened from my bow, I studied them for their reactions to my introduction. They seemed to notice my zealousness and I hoped it impressed them. I was honestly very nervous about this first impression. If I’m going to be on this team for the next three years, then I wanted to start it right.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hoshimoto. My name is Michimiya Yui. I’m the captain of the Karasuno High School girls’ volleyball team.” She had very short, medium brown hair and lighter brown colored eyes. She came off very kind and was close to 16cm shorter than me. I didn’t judge her by her height, though, because I’ve seen people do crazy things.

The two girls next to her introduced themselves as Aihara Mao and Sasaki Chizuru. Aihara was taller than Michimiya, but still a little shorter than me. She had long, dirty blonde hair that was tied up in a high pony tail with eyes that matched. Sasaki was the shortest of us, but only by a small margin. Her light brown hair was cut just above her shoulders and a few clips held her hair back on her right side. Her eye color was very close to Michimiya’s.

Michimiya’s face softened a little and I could hear the sympathy or sadness in her voice, “Hoshimoto-chan, you are our only first-year to apply. But, I hope you stay and we can work hard together.”

I was a bit amazed that I ended up being the only girl in my year to join. I felt like I wasn’t seeing something that everyone else was seeing, but I loved volleyball and I was joining the club no matter what. Maybe everyone else wasn’t seeing something I was seeing.

Eventually, four more girls showed up and that was our whole team. There were eight of us. After more introductions and meeting the teacher overseeing our practices, our captain explained the plan for this year. Things seemed a little unorganized, but I didn’t blame her if she was doing all of it herself and dealing with the pressures that came with the third year of high school. Once she concluded the schedule and passed out copies, we were dismissed… I thought we were going to practice. I also realized there was no mention of a coach; there was no one to guide us.

“Ano, Michimiya-senpai?” The captain turned around and looked at me while the others slowly cleared out. She seemed tense and didn’t say anything so I took that as my que to continue, “I apologize if I’m overstepping my boundaries, but are we really not having practice today?”

"Well, most of the girls don’t have their things today, so tomorrow I’ll show you to the club and equipment rooms and we can see what positions everyone will have.”

“Is…? Never mind. It was nice meeting you. See you tomorrow Michimiya-senpai.” I bowed quickly and went to gather my things before she could respond. That is, _if_ she was going to respond. Why get everyone together and call it practice if you’re not even going to actually do any practicing? The others had to of known it was called a practice, this isn’t their first year, and they still didn’t bring their stuff. At first, I was going to ask Michimiya if I could stay and practice even if no one was there, but it’s too early to be asking such favors. I shook my head, trying to stop overthinking things. It’s one day. We’ll start tomorrow and everything will start coming together.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi never did meet Kageyama today. Apparently, him and some other first-year member had already gotten into a quarrel and they were forced to leave the club until they could work together. It came as no surprise to me that Kageyama was already not getting along with the team after seeing last year’s match. What did surprise me is that the two would be accepted back into the club if they could beat other members of the team in a 3 v. 3 match next Saturday, where Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would be on the opposing team. I asked them if I could attend since I already knew I didn’t have practice that day, because it was a Saturday and from the copy of the schedule that Michimiya gave us. Tsukishima bluntly said that he didn’t care, which annoyed me to no end, but Yamaguchi said he would ask their captain and advisor if I could spectate. I thanked him and Tsukishima gave a, “Tch,” and went back to the equation he had been working on.

They both went to Yamaguchi’s after their practice, and I was invited over to hear about their first day and to study together. They asked about my practice and I had to admit that the club didn’t really do anything. It was obvious that I was disappointed, but I assured them that it was only one day and that things will get better tomorrow. I didn’t tell them that I waited a long time for their practice to end that today so we could walk home together, but they could probably put the pieces together. I ended up getting most of my homework done already while I had been waiting.

“It’s a free day, just take it and shut up,” were Tsukishima’s thoughts. One would think Tsukki’s arm was being twisted into playing with the way he appeared to resent the activity. I knew what gears were really turning in his head. Although he liked playing volleyball, he didn’t want to place any value on it anymore, which was a shame. When I showed excitement toward the sport, he sometimes became sour. Hopefully high school would be different for him. Maybe I could help somehow.

“What are you looking at?” I hadn’t realized that when I spaced out my eyes were still on Tsukishima. When I refocused them, I noticed he was confusedly glaring at me now.

“I just realized there must be a full moon tonight with how pissy you are.” I was playing off his name and his attitude that was reminiscent of a girl during her time of the month or a werewolf ready to transform. I got a grin from Yamaguchi, but Tsukishima was quick to flick me square in the forehead and I flinched back.

“You better watch yourself, you damn brontosaurus,” I growled rubbing my forehead.

Tsukishima leaned toward me, utilizing his height in an intimidating manner to look down on me with that arrogant smirk of his, “Or what?”

“Please don’t fight.” We were all sitting on the floor around the circular chabudai in Yamaguchi’s room. Originally, we were all equally separated around the table, but now Tsukishima and I were closing the gap. Yamaguchi tentatively tugged on Tsukishima’s arm. We were not going to physically fight, but sometimes we scared the living daylights out of Yamaguchi, even over small things. After a short knife throwing competition between our eyes, we finally turned away from each other. I huffed and went back to finishing my chemistry homework.

“Gomen, Tadashi,” I apologized. His shoulders visibly relaxed and I mentally giggled to myself. It was kind of amusing seeing him get worked up over me and Tsukishima even after so many years. Glancing at Tsukki, who was already back to scribbling answers, I could tell he was more calm as well and didn’t have that devilish smirk on his face. This one was not filled with any ill intent. Maybe our few quips were able to let him release some unknown, pent up frustration.

Bouts like this, between me and Tsukishima, were not an uncommon occurrence throughout our friendship. They were actually a sign of just how close we were, but that doesn’t mean that if we were nicer to each other that we would be any less of friends. It was the fact that we could enjoy pushing each other’s buttons to the limit to see who would crack first. The insults were an odd form of endearment that proved we noticed certain things about each other and weren’t afraid to call the other one out on it. It was weird and sometimes complicated. I was only this way with him. Yamaguchi and I had a more positive friendship, which worked well for us, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. (:  
> Comments are encouraged, either positive or constructive. I'd love to know what you think.


	2. A Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first few days of school have been pretty smooth. Beyond that, Hoshimoto has a pretty important favor or two to ask of someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the next chapter~

While I was on my way to school, the two tall volleyball players fell in line with my strides, the same way they normally do. We casually chatted, mostly about our homework, until we passed the front gates.

One of the girls from my team was passing by as I was about to change my shoes.

“Ohayo gozaimasu, Aihara-san,” I greeted.

“Ohayo, Hoshimoto-chan.”

“We still have practice today, yeah?”

“Hai. Did you bring a change of clothes and shoes?”

I pat my extra bag and flashed her an excited grin, “Yup.”

“Nice. I’ll see you after classes.” I nodded and we gave each other a small wave. By the time I turned back to the boys, they had already switched their shoes.

“We’re going to go on ahead. Meet you in class,” Tadashi explained.

“Hai.” I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked away from him to the side to see who wanted my attention, but no one was there. I turned back around and saw Tsukishima just now trailing Yamaguchi. His long arms made it easy for him to be super discreet about it, but since the aisle of lockers had been vacant to begin with, it was blatantly obvious that he was the only one who could be responsible for the simple, juvenile trick. He knew I would know it was him. Still, it made me happy, and it was a good start to the day.

The ending of the day was a bit of a let-down. After touring and learning about all the facilities and equipment we would be using, which was all fine and good, we finally lined up to assign positions. Well, they all kind of already knew their positions based on previous years, so I was the odd one out. This was okay to me because the team would only have to accommodate for one new player. Assuming they already had good teamwork and decent strategies, this change would be ideal compared to trying to formulate a whole new plan. I told them I was most used to being wing spiker and middle blocker, so that’s what they wrote me down as.  They would see which one I was better at and which one was needed most. Then they would finalize their roster and set their regulars after they figured out my official position.

As for practice itself, we performed our warmups, worked on basic serves, ran half a mile, and did cooldowns. I could tell a few girls were out of shape and struggling, but this was just our first practice. They probably were just getting back into the groove of things after their time off. I had been staying on top of my workouts over the vacation, so I wasn’t as phased. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but this work seemed a bit light, even for the first day. I tried to let it go for now and helped clean the gymnasium. After changing back into my uniform, I checked my phone.

There was a text from my father and one from Yamaguchi. I read the one from my dad first, _“I’ll be running late tonight. Can you please grab the mail when you come home after practice and start the laundry? Arigatō, Aki. There are leftovers in the fridge. I love you!”_

_“I will. I love you too, Otōsan. See you in the morning.”_ My father was a higher-level logistician for a healthcare company closer to the city. He had to walk all the way to the station and then take the train the rest of the way to work. As if the commute wasn’t long enough, he often had to stay late as well. He was very hardworking and had the personality to thrive in the business world, and I know he did all this overtime to make sure we were financially secure and had everything we needed, but I really missed him sometimes. I missed him even more when he went on business trips. Thankfully, I usually had Tsukishima and Yamaguchi to keep me company.

I opened Yamaguchi’s text and it read, _“Walk home after practice? (:”_ Looking at the time the text was sent, he messaged me right before the start of practice.

_“Not today. Our practice just ended and I have some things to take care of at home. Otōsan will be late again if you and Tsukki want to come over after you’re done though,”_ I replied. I knew their practice would be a bit longer than ours, so I wasn’t worried about not replying to the text until now.

After I’d showered, loaded the laundry, and started reheating some yakisoba, I heard my phone chime. _“Tsukki and I are leaving now. Going to go home and shower first. Be over after. We’ll see you soon!”_

☆

“Oi, Tadashi. Did they say I could watch the match next Saturday?” We both sat on the lower steps of the set of stairs we started claiming as our lunch spot the second day. Tsukishima was off buying something from a vending machine, so I thought now was the time to ask, considering how heated Tsukki was when he first heard about Kageyama. I knew I could text Yamaguchi later, but now seemed as fine a time as any without Tsukki there.

“Oh, that’s right! I forgot to tell you. They said it would be okay.” My face instantly brightened.

“Arigatō, Tadashi-kun!” His cheeks were full of rice now, but he still gave me a thumbs up. “Ano…” My voice trailed off as I tried to think of how to word the question I wanted to ask.

“What is it, Aki-chan?” Yamaguchi asked when he could speak again.

My eyes were focused on the bento in my lap and looking for words that weren’t there, so I said, “Never mind,” and started to consume my lunch.

Yamaguchi seemed very confused. I wasn’t one to hold back that often around him or Tsukishima and keep my thoughts to myself. He let it go as soon as Tsukki returned.

“What’s with the ugly face?” Tsukishima teased.

“I’ve been asking myself that question for years now. You should probably see a doctor about that. It looks contagious,” I retorted, throwing the joke back at him and even Yamaguchi stifled a laugh. It was short-lived once Tsukki flicked my forehead as he passed between me and Tadashi to reclaim his spot a step above us.

“You better hope you don’t fall in love and try to kiss me then.”

“Don’t worry. No one in their right mind would willingly kiss you, boy or girl.” My face did heat up a little at the thought of kissing my best friend, but I completely forgot about it the moment he threw his empty juice box at the back of my head. “Tsukishima!”

☆

After a few days, practices were still fairly light and short. Again, I still had energy after we had been dismissed. The girls were nice and I’m glad we got along, but I really wanted to do more.

“Sensei?” We had all just finished cleaning and now the teacher and I were the only ones left since I held her back.

“Is everything alright, Hoshimoto?” She seemed to care that I personally pulled her aside to discuss something privately.

“Ano. Well, it’s just, I was wondering if I could stay and practice more.” Her eyebrows rose. “I’ll clean everything again and lock up, I promise.”

She took a moment to think and answered, “If that’s really what you want to do, sure.” She dug the keys out of her pocket and passed them to me. “You already show good initiative and enthusiasm for a first-year. Use the gym whenever you feel like, as long as it’s not _too_ late. The second key is for the locker room. I have spares in my office I can use. Just remember to always lock up and leave the place as spotless as you found it.”

I nodded fervently and thanked her and she grinned with amusement at my excitement. She was about to turn away when I interrupted her one last time. I felt greedy asking for another thing, but I had to, “Can… Can you not tell the other girls?”

She didn’t seem to understand why I would ask something like that, but she reluctantly agreed nonetheless. I bowed and thanked her again and I was left to my own devices. I finally didn’t feel restricted anymore. I worked at it for at least another hour at my own pace and made sure the place looked like no one even used it when I was done. It felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking around to read the second chapter. (:  
> Again, comments, positive or constructive, are encouraged.


	3. Flock of Crows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet the rest of the boys team (and Akira's father).

The following week, I practiced later again, each day. I had just locked the girls’ room on Friday after changing when Tsukishima and Yamaguchi reached the top of the steps that lead to the second-floor locker rooms. I told them I would meet them at the bottom of the stairs so we could walk home together. It was becoming dark now and I didn’t want to stray too far on my own.

We were making our way around to a side gate exit through the athletic areas when, low and behold, Kageyama was outside practicing. He couldn’t use the gym, so this was the best he could do. He was with another guy, who was much shorter and had a head full of orange hair. If I wasn’t mistaken, this was the boy who nearly ran me over on the first day. He didn’t look like a high schooler, but it was the only explanation.

We continued to make our way closer to them, but they were too focused to notice our presence. I thought we would just go around and not say anything, but when a long hit started flying our way, Tsukishima made it a point to catch the ball just above the smaller boy’s face before he could set it back. It was actually a cool move, but it definitely started something nasty. I had half a mind to drag Tsukishima away before he said anything, but I didn’t, and I wish I had.

“Wow, they’re really doing this outside. Are you the first-years that stirred up trouble on the first day?” Tsukishima knew full well who they were. Yamaguchi made a comment about how they were wearing tee-shirts on a cooler night, and I had to mentally agree that I wouldn’t want to be practicing outside wearing short sleeves right now. It was already becoming uncomfortable wearing a skirt, even with my longer stockings.

The boy with orange hair was gaping at realizing Tsukishima’s height. This kid was an open book. He even attempted to take back the ball, but Tsukishima held it just high enough to where the boy couldn’t reach it and teased him about looking like an elementary student.

“Who the heck are you guys anyway?” the boy burst out.

We didn’t even need to say anything because Kageyama cut in, “You’re the other first-years joining the club? You, how tall are you?” He was clearly referring to our blonde friend. The short boy had tried to say more, but he was ignored.

“Tsukki is 188 cm. He’ll be 190 soon,” Yamaguchi proudly answered.

“What’re you bragging about, Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima asked in warning tone. He wasn’t usually one to brag or show off, so it was irritating to him to have Yamaguchi speak for him in such a way.

“Ah, gomen, Tsukki.” I was relieved I was being left out of this confrontation so far.

“You’re Kageyama of Kitagawa Daiichi, aren’t you?” Tsukishima was intending to bring up the past, little by little. “What’s an elite like you doing at Karasuno?”

“Hah?” Kageyama was becoming increasingly annoyed with Tsukishima talking about him.

“Oi! We won’t lose tomorrow, you hear me?” I was shocked to hear the short boy yell again, but I was impressed by his confidence for his size. He better hope he wasn’t compensating with his bravado.

“Ah, right.” It took us by surprise when Tsukishima started to repeatedly toss up the ball and admit with a fake smile, “I don’t know if it’s an important match for you two, but it doesn’t matter to me at all. I’m not hung up on winning or losing, so if you two really need to win, how about we throw the game for you?” The opposing first-years were getting even more agitated, but they weren’t the only ones. I was upset that Tsukishima could take this so lightly and mess with them in such a way.

“Whether you throw the game or give it your all, the bottom line is I will win.” There was a fire burning around Kageyama as he spoke.

“You mean ‘we’!” the other boy corrected.

Tsukishima laughed at them, “Amazing confidence. I expect nothing less of the ‘King’.”

“Oi. Don’t call me that.”

“Ooh, so it is true. The rumor that you dislike being called the ‘King of the Court.’” Kageyama’s growling ceased when Tsukishima said that, but he was still shaking with frustration.

I didn’t like this, “Tsukishima.” He completely disregarded me.

“What’s wrong with ‘King’? It’s cool. I think it suits you perfectly, ‘your highness’.” Even the boy Kageyama was practicing with sensed the dark aura around his partner.

“What do you want from me?”

Before Tsukishima could deal another blow answering the setter’s question, I tried to stop him, “Save it, Tsukishima.” I grabbed his lower arm, but he ripped it away and flashed a face of anger. He advanced toward Kageyama like a smooth predator until he was just past him.

“I watched the prefecture semifinals. That was some egocentric tossing. The rest of the team sure tolerated a lot. That would’ve been impossible for me. Oh!” Glancing back, he continued, “I guess what happened was because _they couldn’t tolerate it anymore, either_.”

Something snapped in Kageyama and he whipped around, grabbing the taller boy by the collar. Tsukishima dropped the ball and the rest of us looked on in fear, but the taller boy’s face only held amusement. That look was all Kageyama needed to realize he fell into Tsukishima’s trap, and he released him. He grabbed his gear and was making to leave, his head down the entire time. Based on his reputation, I could’ve imagined him still holding onto Tsukishima and retaliating, but he was removing himself from the situation instead. He clearly was trying to prove he wasn’t the person Tsukishima was making him out to be anymore.

Tsukishima retrieved the ball and went on, “Running away? I guess the King isn’t what he’s cracked up to be. Maybe, in tomorrow’s match, I’ll win against the ‘King’, too.” Before I could reprehend the giant, he tossed up the ball again. Only this time, the short boy jumped and grabbed the ball out of the air. It wasn’t a normal jump, though. He practically cleared Tsukishima’s height and the three of us were dumbfounded. Even Tsukki had an incredulous face for a moment.

“Shut up with the ‘King’ crap. I’m here, too,” He certainly made his point, “I’ll spike the ball over your head at the match.”

“Hah?” The determination the boy had went out the window when Tsukishima gave him a serious face, but Tsukishima was back to his false front in seconds, “Let’s not get so intense. Let’s be fair, have fun, and not go overboard.” No one was buying his act. “It’s only a club activity, after all.”

“What do you mean ‘only’?”

“It means exactly what you think it means, ‘literally’. See you later.” Tsukishima started walking away.

“Wait a sec! Stop! Who are you guys?”

“First-year, Class-4, Tsukishima Kei.”

“I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

“We’re your teammates starting today.” Tsukishima slipped in, “But enemies for now. Looking forward to seeing the ‘King’s’ tosses.” They both continued back on the path home, but I hadn’t followed.

“Akira-chan?” Yamaguchi looked back and halted. This caught Tsukishima’s attention and he gave a look that said he was mad at me for trying to interfere earlier, but I stayed where I was while he walked on. I looked back to the other first-years.

“Hoshimoto Akira. Moushiwake arimasen, Kageyama, Carrot-chan.” I knew Tsukishima wasn’t going to apologize, and Yamaguchi wasn’t going to apologize for him. I wasn’t going to feel any better if I didn’t do something to try and salvage the mess, even though it probably wasn’t any of my business. Then again, Tsukki and Tadashi are my business. I gave a very short bow and turned back to Yamaguchi so we could catch up to Tsukishima.

“Tsukki, wait up. Is something the matter?” Tadashi called out when we got closer.

“Uselessly intense people for no reason get on my nerves. That King and that shorty just now.”

“You provoked them. You know that, right?” Tsukishima shot me a shadowed look.

“If they weren’t hot-blooded to begin with, they wouldn’t have reacted the way they did. I drew out what was already there to gain a sense of what we’d be dealing with. You have no right saying anything about this. It doesn’t involve you.”

I didn’t say anything more. Getting into an argument over this wasn’t something I would’ve ever wanted. I could forgive him for now, but I wasn’t going to forget this. In my mind, this wasn’t completely over, but it was over for today. Tsukishima’s view on the significance of volleyball and this club was misguided compared to how others felt. He’ll understand someday, somehow. I’d make sure of it. I know he still cares.

☆

By the next day, after a number of late-night texts in our group chat with Yamaguchi, Tsukishima and I were back to our usual relationship. As stubborn as we both were, we weren’t going to sacrifice our friendship over something so petty. I could tell Yamaguchi was relieved.

Early in the morning, I was planning my routine for next week. I was still staying late after practices, but I felt so limited with what I could do by myself. I mostly focused on agility, endurance, and flexibility. Some of the only volleyball mechanics I could fully do on my own were serves and dives. I tried tossing up my own spikes, but it wasn’t the same. It was more like a jump serve at that point. Even then, I still had no one to guide me and help me improve. I couldn’t practice receives, or blocking, or spiking. Still, I had kept at it and planned to continue.

I didn’t tell the boys about staying after the team and working alone. I still wanted to be on good terms, and I knew Tsukishima would get upset that I put so much extra effort into a club sport. I didn’t tell Tadashi either, because I didn’t want him to have to keep a secret. I know he would understand and be supportive, but it was better this way. My goal now was to try and convince someone to do some simple tasks for me, like tossing up a ball for me to spike or throwing one at me to receive or block. I was feeling desperate, but I knew I couldn’t ask to join the volleyball boys’ morning or afternoon practices, even though being in the environment I needed to be in would be most beneficial. Tsukishima would know then, and I couldn’t trust any of the other boys yet to keep a one-on-one practice secret either.

I even studied professional videos online. I didn’t know when my first official match would be, but I was very concerned with being prepared and up to par. I did realize that my team didn’t think like this, though. They liked volleyball, and would like to win, but the effort just wasn’t always there. I kept my practices from them so they wouldn’t feel guilty or insulted. I was also worried they would think I was crazy for doing more work than what we already did. I really wasn’t crazy. I just always put all my heart into volleyball. I closed my notebook, prepared a bag for today, and went to start breakfast.

My father was home for today, so we ate breakfast together and caught up a little. I told him all about what happened and how Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would be competing against a few of their new teammates this morning.

“Are these boys they are facing delinquents?” I couldn’t help but giggle at his bluntness.

“No, Otōsan, they just had a rough start.” I don’t know why I was defending Kageyama and his teammate, Hinata Shōuyō (whose name I recently learned). They both got in trouble their first day of practice and apparently Hinata was in the lowest first-year class. They disobeyed their captain and, rumor has it, they knocked off the vice-principal’s wig. One _could_ see them as delinquents, but I continued, “Kageyama is a genius setter from a middle school that made it to the prefecture preliminaries, and Hinata can jump incredibly high for his height. They just had a misunderstanding.” I was definitely sugar-coating the story and excluded last night’s encounter, but I believed things would work out and these details eventually wouldn’t matter. I didn’t need my dad worrying about me because of the people I willingly chose to interact with.

I looked at the clock and knew we didn’t have a lot of time left to chat, so I made sure to set something straight, “Otōsan? You know how I told you that I got permission to stay late after practices and was given keys to the gym and club room, right?” He nodded and encouraged me to continue. “Tsukishima and Yamaguchi don’t know, so I was hoping you wouldn’t mention it.”

“Why haven’t you told them? You shouldn’t keep things from them, Akira, you know that. They’re your best friends, aren’t they?”

A knock on the door cut me off before I could explain, so all I could say was, “Please, promise me.”

“Okay.” I’m sure my tone and face convinced him, and I was thankful. My father went to answer the door while I cleaned up after our meal. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear well enough from the kitchen.

“Ohayo gozaimasu, Mr. Hoshimoto,” the two greeted.

“Ohayo, Tsukishima! Yamaguchi! Please, come in. Akira is just finishing up the dishes. How have you boys been?” It truly had been a while since the three saw each other. With our extracurricular activities and my dad’s schedule, there just wasn’t always an opportune time anymore. It was different when we were younger. The two young men entered into the genkan, but did not remove their shoes and go further into the home. We would be leaving very soon, which my father understood. They continued their conversation while I started scrubbing. Within a minute or two, I swiftly placed the last dish on the drying mat and pat my hands with a towel. I then retrieved my sweater from the back of the chair I had been sitting at and met them all at the door.

“Ohayo.”

“Ohayo,” my friends replied.

I slipped out of my house shoes and laced up my sneakers. I shouldered the white and yellow crossbody bag I prepared that morning and we finally started heading out. We were already past the threshold when we turned back to say goodbye.

“Mata ne, Otōsan.”

“Good seeing you, Mr. Hoshimoto,” Yamaguchi bowed.

“I’m trusting you two to take care of my daughter,” my father warned as he leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms. I knew he was half-joking and mischievous with his sternness. He knew he could trust them. It didn’t stop Tadashi from looking nervous, though.

A large hand was placed on the top of my head and I looked quizzically to the side to see Tsukishima with one of his signature grins, “No worries, Mr. Hoshimoto.” My father looked satisfied and shut the door. If he’d wanted to convince my father, it would’ve made more sense to put his hand on my shoulder.

I was about to ask Tsukki about the weird gesture, but he immediately started mussing up my hair. I swatted his hand away and started brushing and smoothing out my long tresses with my fingers. I should’ve known he had an ulterior motive that would tick me off. I hadn’t done anything too special with my hair, so it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was the principle of the act. By the time I’d managed to see clearly, Tsukishima was already walking away, Yamaguchi in toe. I quickly blew off the dumb prank and caught up to them, but that wasn’t the end of it. Tsukishima adjusted his pace to be slightly behind mine and he separated a small section of my hair and was pretending to inspect it.

“Looks like you actually shampooed _and_ conditioned your hair today. Is there someone else from the team who you’re trying to impress? How cute. Why didn’t you tell us about your crush?” I always shampooed and conditioned my hair. Although, today I had tried a new brand because I had run out of my regular shampoo, but I wouldn’t expect Tsukki to notice. I know what he was saying was only a coincidence. And, I didn’t even know anyone else from the team besides the other first-years.

“Quit looking through my hair for bugs to eat like a damn monkey. _You’re_ the only _pest_ touching me right now. Shouldn’t you be figuring out a strategy for today?” He looped the strand around one of his fingers and gave a small tug on my hair before he let go and returned to walking in line with me and Yamaguchi.

“It doesn’t matter. Kageyama’s a prodigy and that other guy is a freak.”

“You think we’ll win, though, right?”

“Urusai, Yamaguchi.”

“Gomen, Tsukki.” We got the hint to drop the subject.

Letting my mind and eyes wander, I realized that the boys opted to wear simple attire, outerwear over their activewear. I took it upon myself to wear something casual as well, to be more comfortable. I had chosen a pair of fitted jeans, a dark red, short sleeved t-shirt, and a thick knitted, taupe cardigan.

We filled the trip with small talk, but when we arrived, Kageyama and Hinata were at the entrance of the gym. Naturally, Tsukishima couldn’t hold back, “Ohayo, King.” I calmly suggested Tsukishima and Yamaguchi go get warmed up, and we, thankfully, avoided any drama. I didn’t wait for them as I stepped up to the doorway of the gym.

“Gomen kudasai,” I greeted while switching my shoes before I entered. I had never met any of these people before. They all were a year or two my senior. I bowed out of respect. None of them really seemed phased by me being a stranger.

A guy nearly the same height as me, but a smidge taller, welcomed me, “Irasshai.” He had dark, cropped hair and unwavering eyes. Along with his deep voice, build, and posture, he gave off an awesome air of authority. “You must be Hoshimoto Akira, yeah? I’m Daichi Sawamura, captain of Karasuno’s boys’ volleyball team.” I would’ve been surprised if he said he _wasn’t_ the captain.

“Hai. It’s nice to meet you Daichi-san. Pardon my intrusion today.”

He waved it off and said it was no trouble at all. He then introduced me to the other members who were there. Sugawara Kōshi was another third-year. He had light grey hair, hazel-brown eyes, and a birthmark under his left eye. It was a pleasant, unique feature. He was about as much shorter than me as Daichi was taller than me, so the three of us just about leveled with each other in height. He seemed very sweet from the beginning and it was refreshing. I was then introduced to three second-years named Ennoshita Chikara, Kinoshita Hisashi, and Narita Kazuhito. They all seemed pretty soft-spoken at first, but that was okay.

Next thing I knew, there was a guy with a shaved head, Tanaka Ryūnosuke is what he called himself, kneeling in front of me with his hands clasped together, as if he were begging. He seemed to be in a dream-like state and practically sang, “I must know when you fell from heaven, because anyone can see your beauty is not of this realm~! There are now two angels watching over me~!” Two? He seemed ready to start crying out of pure happiness.

“Tanaka!” Daichi scolded and grabbed him by the ear.

“I wouldn’t get too excited.” The other first-years had finally finished and Tsukishima just had to say something, getting everyone’s attention. “She’s definitely a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

I put a hand on my hip and narrowed my gaze, “If that implies you’re a sheep, then you better run, because I’m going to tear you apart and make barbecued lamb out of you.”

“Don’t forget the seasoning. Your cooking always was bland,” he added with smile. I gathered all the control I had left and reminded myself now was not the time for this. He was doing this on purpose so I would make an embarrassing first impression, but I wasn’t going to let it get that far.

I relaxed and bowed toward the captain, “Gomen’nasai, Daichi-san.” He claimed it was no big deal and everyone continued to set up.

A few minutes later, a beautiful third-year entered the gym. She had silky black hair, sexy eyes behind a pair of glasses, a birthmark below the left corner of her lips, and a lavender tracksuit that complimented her figure. Honestly, I instantly felt intimidated by how gorgeous she was. She introduced herself to me as Shimizu Kiyoko, the team’s manager, and I learned she had a kind personality to match. She quickly made me feel comfortable and my tensions eased. I encouraged her to not hesitate to ask for any assistance and she was appreciative.

“All right. Let’s get started!” Daichi announced. “I’ll be on Tsukishima’s team.”

Hinata started whining about the captain not being on his team, but he assured Hinata that Tanaka was a better attacker than him to make him feel better. Then again, Daichi added that he wouldn’t go easy on them either.

“Ano… that little one and Tanaka-san, which one shall I crush- I mean- block first?” Tsukishima was purposely speaking loud to Daichi so the others would hear and get riled up or dejected. He didn’t stop there, though, “Oh, yes, yes. I’d like to see the King lose, too.”

“Tsukki, they can hear you. Watch it,” Yamaguchi advised his friend in a hushed voice.

“I’m saying it so they _can_ hear it.” He spoke louder again, “I sure hope they lose their cool.”

“Tsukishima, you got character problems.” The captain was absolutely right, yet Tsukishima continued to taunt the other team until Tanaka pulled a menacing face and said they would crush him to a pulp, which I would approve of at this point.

Carefully, I placed my bag in a spot that wouldn’t be in the way and went to stand near Sugawara, Ennoshita, and Kinoshita who was keeping score. Shimizu and Narita were acting as referee on each end of the net. I didn’t stand too close to the upperclassmen, but I didn’t show any hostility that would make them think I was avoiding them. I just didn’t want to be rude and invade their space so suddenly.

“Ne, Akira-san,” Sugawara put a hand up with his fingers pointing down and beckoned me closer. I respected this kind act of inclusion and stood by his side. “Tsukishima and Yamaguchi said you play volleyball too.” There was a warm feeling in my heart knowing they would think to talk about me and volleyball even when I’m not around, but I worried they, more specifically Tsukishima, painted a bad picture of me.

“Hai. I play on the girls’ team, but I’m the only first-year.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much. You have enough people to make a team, right? That’s all you need. You could get more girls next year.” He was right.

The whistle blew and the match began. Kageyama’s team took an early lead, but it was still very close. Yet, that didn’t stop Tanaka from ripping his shirt off and roaring with confidence when he spiked past Tsukishima. The boys on the sidelines quickly called him out for his overreaction. Tsukki clearly didn’t know who he was dealing with when he was openly claiming the other team was weak.

It was during the next rally that Hinata displayed his incredible jumping ability, and I was still stunned. He looked so confident and excited to be finally spiking the ball, but Tsukki shut him down real fast with a block that appeared out of nowhere. Although he scored a point, Tsukishima looked emotionless at first. He easily fell into a feeling of joy when he was able to talk down to his opponent. Hinata looked devastated and frustrated. Tsukishima blocked Hinata again the next rally and taunted Kageyama to perform his “King toss.” I’m sure I had a sour look on my face watching Tsukishima acting so indecent.

“Are you okay, Akira-san?” Sugawara had sensed my annoyance with the tallest first-year.

“I hate when he’s like this,” I admitted.

Yamaguchi was next to serve and it was quite unfortunate that it never made it over the net, and all eyes were on him. “G-gomen, Tsukki.”

Kageyama attacked with a clean jump-serve and I was almost sure he could score with just that, but the captain instantly received it so Tsukki could set the toss for Yamaguchi to score. I was very impressed and practically blushing at how cool Daichi was. This was one of the reasons he was such a reliable captain.

“Hey, King. Maybe you should start getting serious,” Tsukishima was back at it again.

“What’s your problem? You haven’t stopped getting in our faces since yesterday. What’s this ‘King’s toss’?” Hinata wanted answers. I’m surprised he didn’t know by now. Tsukishima looked more than happy to explain how Kageyama got his title, and he did…

“…He was a selfish, egotistical king. A tyrannical dictator. He got too oppressive and was forced to sit on the bench,” Tsukishima finished. Tanaka was about to pick a fight with him for talking so much about Kageyama and his past, but their captain controlled him.

“You’re right. The fact that I made a toss, and no one was there behind me… It truly frightens me down to my very soul.” I honestly felt bad for Kageyama. He was trying to move on and Tsukishima was there at every turn to bring him down.

Out of the darkness, Hinata spoke, “We’ll win against Tsukishima, become official club members, and you will bravely play setter, fair and square. And you’ll toss to me. What else is there?” I was honestly ready to start rooting for them.

“How pure and straightforward. It’s irritating. You can’t make up for height by psyching yourself up with fighting spirit.” Tsukishima’s words hung over me the rest of the match, “If you believe effort alone will win out… _You’re dead wrong_.”

After seeing Tsukishima’s blocks, Kageyama and Hinata’s freak combinations, Tanaka’s attacks, and Daichi’s receives, I really wanted to capture those moments. I really wished I carried my camera for times like these, but I would’ve felt weird taking any photos or videos during my first meeting. That’s what I was originally going to ask Yamaguchi when he relayed it was okay for me to come to this match, but I chose not to. I didn’t just take photos for the aesthetic of it all. I’m a visual and kinesthetic learner, so I’ve used my photography and videography studies to improve my volleyball knowledge. It just happened that people also sometimes thought my photos were pleasing to view and really captured a player’s essence. I thought observing the boys’ match would produce some good shots and enlighten or inspire me. I didn’t take the photos for vanity or extortion.

Eventually, Kageyama and Hinata shared a few heartfelt exchanges and got a bit of advice from Sugawara, a veteran setter himself. Tsukishima continued to be disrespectful and it only blew up in his face when Kageyama and Hinata attempted quick attacks for the first time. I couldn’t help myself and slipped my phone out of my pocket, wanting to seal that moment when Hinata hit Kageyama’s toss. It wasn’t what I usually used for this sort of thing, but I had to work with what I had on hand. No one really noticed what I was doing, and I made sure to keep the flash and sound off. I adjusted the shutter speed to its’ highest setting, but a phone’s camera was quite limited. I was hoping I could study what was happening when everything connected within a successful play. Hinata put all of his trust in Kageyama and spiked their first intentional and successful quick, and I was stunned at what appeared on my phone’s screen. Although it was the smallest bit blurry, there was no denying what happened when I zoomed in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are still hanging in there with me with this series. Thanks for reading.  
> Comments always encouraged.


	4. Nostalgia

“Hinata’s eyes were closed,” I whispered to myself, as if saying it made any difference. Apparently Sugawara heard me and was utterly shocked looking over my shoulder. He repeated what I said, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

“What?!” was the most common response and jaws dropped. It was the start of a major shift in the match.

They didn’t start out perfect, but they got better and it definitely riled Tsukishima up. I hadn’t expected him to get so worked up and competitive, but it felt so good that someone could make Tsukishima outwardly care about playing volleyball. He got serious enough to remove and throw his sweater to the sidelines and make an effort. He wore it thinking he would not need to work up a sweat, but he was mistaken. The duo’s feelings became infectious and I could understand how they felt about wanting to be on the court as much as possible, because I felt that way too.

Kageyama’s team took the first and second set, but Tsukishima’s team was never far behind in points. Still, that meant they lost. I was right there the moment the last point was won, with towels and water bottles in hand for my two best friends.

“Arigatō, Aki-chan,” Yamaguchi acknowledged gratefully, accepting the two items.

“Arigatō,” Tsukishima said in a small voice. He was avoiding eye contact, but a thank-you from Tsukishima was a rarity and it made a wide grin appear on my face, despite knowing he was a jerk the entire game.

“You guys put up a good fight,” I praised. They both looked flustered until Hinata abruptly interrupted with Kageyama by his side.

“Tsukishima!” The short first-year held out an open hand to Tsukki.

“What?”

“We’re supposed to shake hands before and after a match, though we didn’t do it at first today. Besides, we’re teammates now, though that doesn’t make me happy.” As good of sportsmanship as Hinata was attempting, it looked like it pained him and Tsukki wasn’t having any of it. Hinata silently urged, “Hurry up. Don’t you know? They’ll kick you out of the gym if you don’t show team spirit.”

“The reason why you two got kicked out was because you ignored the captain, started your own competition, and finally, blew the vice principal’s rug off his head.”

Hinata lunged at Tsukishima and reached for his hand. Tsukishima avoided it and the two got into a minor brawl that resulted in Hinata grabbing his hand and Tsukki looking like he was poisoned.

“Are you alright, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi worried.

Before the two could continue their dramatic scene, Daichi approached, “Tsukishima. How did you like the three-on-three?”

“It made no difference to me,” he was back to his impassive self, “We were against a ‘King’ from an elite school, anyway. There’s nothing strange about ‘common folk’ losing to him.” Tsukishima turned away and there were the subtle beginnings of a pout. I was going to make a comment about how he looked like he was sucking on lemon and that must be why his hair is the color it is, but I didn’t get the chance.

“But considering that, you played pretty seriously,” the captain said the words I was thinking about earlier, but in a more professional and kind way. To be honest, I wanted to chew Tsukishima out for his behavior and tell him how inappropriate he was, but he ended up getting his ass handed to him and he was now the team’s responsibility.

“Captain!” Hinata startled us all. He and Kageyama presented their applications, which Daichi finally accepted. He asked Shimizu to grab a specific box for them and she retrieved it.

Inside were the boys’ official club sweats. They only pulled out the jackets, but it was exciting nonetheless. They all eagerly tried them on, except for Tsukishima, who only did it begrudgingly after some teasing from Sugawara and Tanaka. I’d be lying if I said they didn’t look good all lined up. The style was great, and my eyes probably lingered on Tsukishima longer than they should have.

“We’re the Karasuno Volleyball Club from here on out… Ready, and-“ all the upperclassmen banded together to say, “Good to have you with us.” It was honestly touching, in my eyes. I wanted to have this kind of moment with the girls’ club.

“Thanks!” I left the boys under Tanaka’s supervision as he taught them a “cool pose.”

I had packed a couple protein bars for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. I felt like I was being super motherly, but I cared too much to be embarrassed after so many years. They were boys and often didn’t look ahead to prepare for things like this.

Kageyama and Hinata were more than ready to continue practicing and I got revved up just watching them and listening to the conviction in their voices. Before they could toss even one ball and I could reach my bag, the gym doors were recklessly slid open and a male teacher began shouting, “It’s decided! It’s decided!” I thought this man was going to keel over with how exhausted he looked. “The practice match,” he informed, “It’s against one of the top four teams in the prefecture: Aoba Johsai High School.”

I was jealous. The school was also known as Seijoh, and they were killer players. I didn’t pay much attention to the meeting of Kageyama, Hinata, and their club advisor, Takeda Ittesu, but I tuned back in hearing that the school only agreed to the match because they were promised Kageyama would be the setter the entire game. I felt bad for Sugawara. The match was set for Tuesday next week after classes, one game. I really wanted to play. The practices with the girls weren’t horrible, but I wanted something I could go all out with.

Kageyama and Hinata quickly returned to practicing their new attack, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were talking to Daichi about something regarding their practice schedule, and I finally procured the two energy bars. My back was still turned to the court when there were unexpected shouts, “Hoshimoto-chan!” “Watch out!” “Akira!” The whole thing was a sharp moment in slow-motion. It was as though the bars were never in my hands and my fingers were always together, thumbs up and arms outstretched in front of me. My stance fluidly mirrored and adjusted on its’ own and I firmly grounded my heels. The entire time, I was in a trance of tunnel vision and only focused on one thing. The whole receive felt perfect. The pressure on my forearms rebounded just right. This was what I had been missing, craving. The ball followed a decisive path back to Kageyama, who reacted just in time to do a quick toss to Hinata. It couldn’t have worked out any smoother. The only sound that resonated now were the last bounces of the ball after its’ decimation. I slowly relaxed and reflected on the feelings I just experienced and the subtle red marks appearing on my forearms.

I finally glanced at the other people in the room and I started internally freaking out because everyone was staring at me. Many of their faces did not hide their shock and I’d wondered if I’d done something really wrong. I tucked some hair behind my ear on my left side and pulled down the sleeves of my sweater and started fiddling with them uncomfortably.

“That was so cool, Hoshi-chan!” I don’t know when Hinata and I became familiar enough for nicknames, and I don’t think we did, but I let it slide since I did call him a carrot the first time we met. The short boy was beaming.

“Arigatō, Hinata,” was my simple response. I didn’t understand why this was such a big deal.

“How were you able to react like that? You couldn’t even see the ball until you turned around and it was right in front of you,” Sugawara was the one to speak up now.

“Ano… Must’ve been luck,” I laughed. Some people weren’t buying what I was selling, but they seemed to have settled down. I wanted to end this as soon as I could, so I picked up the discarded snacks and carried out what I’d started, “Tsukishima. Yamaguchi.” I held out the bars.

“Arigatō, Aki-chan. Nice receive,” Yamaguchi smiled. Tsukishima emitted a hum of acknowledgement, and that was good enough for me. I was super surprised he didn’t have something snarky to say about what happened, but I wasn’t going to ask. Realizing I wasn’t going to talk about what happened anymore, everyone returned to what they were previously doing and I felt better.

I hung around at the gym until everyone was ready to leave for the day. I even insisted on helping them clean before they locked up. We were invited to have pork buns from Sakanoshita Store on the way home and we graciously accepted. Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and I were the last ones to arrive at the store, but we got our food and I found the team to be an entertaining bunch.

Later that night, I told my dad about Tsukishima and Yamaguchi’s loss. He positively said that they would be better men knowing defeat and had faith they could win next time. It was really uplifting. I also uploaded the photos from my phone to my computer. I was pretty tired, so I only skimmed through them before I went to bed and would look closer at them tomorrow. I put on the glasses I only wore for things like reading so I could inspect the photos better, without straining. I was satisfied overall. Not every shot could be perfect, but I accomplished my goal.

While glancing through Tsukishima’s stills, I finally took notice of the shirt he was wearing underneath his sweater, the purple one with the star. I had given him that shirt as a gift some time ago and I’m glad it still fit him. The first part of my family name is “hoshi,” which means “star.” I told him it would remind him of me and he claimed he didn’t want to keep anything that reminded him of me, so I called him an ungrateful giraffe and threw it at his face. Thinking about his face, I went through the pictures to see how his eyes gradually intensified. It was satisfying to know he got forced out of his element for a little bit. I couldn’t help but to continue analyzing his photos despite the time of night. I grabbed one of the photo albums off my book shelf and started making comparisons, but I didn’t really pay attention to the progression in volleyball.

I immediately saw changes in Yamaguchi. He looked more confident and sure of himself. At least compared to years back. He also didn’t look like someone could snap him like a twig as easily anymore, which made a big difference in his everyday life. He still had those adorable freckles, though. On another side of our friendship, Tsukishima had always been tall and intimidating. I could find cuteness in his much younger years, and I remember him being much more open and expressive, but more recently he mostly looks soulless unless he’s making fun of someone or something. Still, he was attractive, I had to admit. His slender body, height, and sharp features paired with the witty banter we always exchanged was an effective combination for someone like me. Even his glasses were an appealing addition. Despite all those things, he just didn’t seem like boyfriend material. He doesn’t show much drive or passion for anything anymore, except for executing insults, so it was hard to believe he could give his all in a committed relationship. He was a little softer with me and Yamaguchi, but it had to be exhausting suppressing his emotions so often. I don’t really know why I felt the need to consider these things tonight, so I closed the album and shut my laptop. I would regret it if I continued to torture myself with trying to interpret all these thoughts, and my brain would hurt trying to understand Tsukishima in general.


	5. Seijoh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An opportunity presents itself as the practice match approaches.

Over the next few days, one of the only things on my mind was the boys’ practice match. They would be competing against choice athletes and being pushed to their limits. I know it would be grueling and tough, but it also sounded like so much fun. I had asked Michimiya if we would ever get practice matches or anything like that and she informed me it was a rare event if it did happen. The girls’ team didn’t really have a reputation, past or present, that would attract the attention of other schools and it was hard to build one on little foundation. Even if we didn’t get to compete anytime soon, I kept at my late practices. I eventually wanted to start fitting in morning practices, but I had to do it without raising suspicion from Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, whom I usually walk to school with every day except when they had their own morning practice.

It was right at the start of Monday’s practice that we were told our advisor would be out that afternoon and the next day for a history conference with a few of the other faculty members from her department. It was decided that practice these two days would not be mandatory and I instantly believed there was a god watching over me with this timing. Needless to say, I wasn’t too worried about looking like a slacker if I didn’t show up tomorrow, because I knew most of the team would skip themselves. I stayed that afternoon, like usual, and waited by the second gym when I was done to catch their captain and advisor. I was going to ask for permission to go with them to Seijoh tomorrow. I knew it could be a tall order, and might seem like a strange request, but I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try.

“Daichi-san? May I ask you something?” I caught him just as he was leaving the gym to return to the locker room. He was the last boy out the door, so I knew this time was best.

“Is everything okay, Hoshimoto-san?”

“Hai. I was wondering if you had room for one more to attend your practice match tomorrow. I- I know this is last-minute, but the circumstances weren’t right until now. I apologize for imposing on your team, but the girls’ practice isn’t mandatory tomorrow and I was really hoping I could finally see a high school match in-person, finally as a high schooler myself. I don’t know when the next opportunity would come around, if it even did, let alone be able to actually participate in one. I can help Shimizu-san or anything else, I know first-aid, and I promise I wouldn’t purposely burden the team,” I tried to balance assurance and nerves so I didn’t sound like I was demanding to go, but still get my point across. I was attempting to convey the fact that I love volleyball and really wanted to get more involved.

“Sensei,” I was very confused until I realized Daichi was looking past me at Takeda. I hadn’t known he was standing nearby, but this made things easier, “There will be one more student traveling with us tomorrow, if you’ll allow it.”

“It’ll be a pleasure to have your company tomorrow, Hoshimoto.”

“Arigatōgozaimashita, Daichi-san, Takada-sensei,” I could feel a pressure lift and politely bowed with much gratitude. They could probably see how much this meant to me. I was going to see my first high school game up close, even if it was just a practice match, and I felt more than ready. The last and only time I ever saw a high school match was years ago, when I went with Tsukishima to see his brother _play_ his last volleyball game…

☆

Tsukishima didn’t hide his irritation when he saw me show up at the bus the next day.

“Akira-chan, you’re going to Seijoh with us today?” Yamaguchi gleefully asked.

“Hai, but you can pretend like I’m not even here.”

“That won’t be difficult.” I hit Tsukishima in the arm, but, naturally, he wasn’t fazed at all.

“Line up,” Daichi got everyone’s attention. I stood at the very end next to Shimizu.

“Let’s play,” we all bowed.

Being the last student on the bus, there weren’t too many options left as far as seat selection went. Though, I was lucky enough that there was an open seat behind Shimizu at the front, and she was kind enough to make small talk with me for a while. We were probably ten minutes into the drive when there was shouting and utter panic and chaos coming from the rear end of the bus. Every single person looked back to see that Hinata had vomited all over Tanaka’s trousers.

“Stop the bus!”

Apparently, ever since the practice match with Aoba Johsai had been announced, Hinata had been a complete, nervous mess. In less than a minute, we were pulled to the side of the road and everyone was off the bus. Tanaka, thankfully, was wearing his shorts underneath his sweats, so it was an easy enough cleanup. Seeing the total misery that Hinata embodied, I had the urge to help. I did tell Daichi about knowing first aid.

I had Hinata make sure he kept his upper body elevated and had Shimizu help me get one of the supplied sports drinks so he could rehydrate. I guided him through a few deep breathing exercises and he seemed to have settled for the most part. He rested the remaining part of the trip and furiously apologized to Tanaka, but the second-year assured him he didn’t need to worry about it. The short boy was looking better once he was off the bus, but Tanaka unintentionally threw him into another round of nerves, adding pressure by saying they would be counting on him. Hinata felt sick again and now needed to use the restroom.

“There he goes again. How pathetic. I’m going to knock some courage into him,” Kageyama started rolling up his sleeves for emphasis and going after the sick boy, but Sugawara held him back. Things were a clustered mess.

Taking my eyes off the toddlers that the younger boys could be for a few seconds while I helped get some supplies together proved to be a mistake. My attention was refocused on them when I realized Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Tanaka, and Kageyama were frightening Seijoh players around the corner.

I didn’t show myself and caught Tsukishima mocking somebody again, “You shouldn’t threaten them like that, Tanaka-san. Look what you did. You scared the poor elites. Now I feel sorry for them.”

“W-We’re not intimidated,” one of the two students argued.

“Oh, you’re right. We should save our bullying for the match,” Tanaka continued, bearing an evil smirk of sharp teeth.

I looked back toward the bus and saw Daichi looking around very confused. He must’ve been wondering where some of his team went and I waved to him. He rounded the corner irately upon seeing what they were doing, “You guys! I can’t let you out of my sight.” The team stiffened realizing they had been caught. By now, most of our group was spectating. Daichi forced Tanaka to bow and said, “We apologize.” The poor guy had to look after his team as if they were children sometimes. Tanaka tried resisting, but the captain moved him away.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, King?” We all stopped, hearing one of the Seijoh players speak up, “What sort of dictatorship do you belong to these days? I’m looking forward to seeing it in the match.” I recognized the boy as one of the players on Kageyama’s team from last year. Apparently, he was still bitter.

“…Sure,” Kageyama didn’t even look at him. I was proud to see him still pushing himself out of the reputation he once had. That didn’t stop Tanaka and Sugawara from slapping him in the back of the head though.

“Why’s he pretending to be passive?”

“It’s true Kageyama was a controlling player who only thought about himself,” I spoke up once the Karasuno boys started walking away, ” _Was_.” That’s all I would say. I would let Kageyama’s actions speak for themselves when they played.

 I thought I was going to break my neck looking up at how high the ceiling was. This was Aoba Johsai’s third gymnasium, yet it was enormous, had two courts, a wide upper balcony, and was filled with a ton of students practicing.

“H-Huge. The gym. The people.” I could see Hinata falling into turmoil and Tanaka started freaking Hinata out again by saying how much they would rely on him. When the second-year wasn’t paying attention, the orange jellybean ran. He followed him in a frenzy once he realized this.

While they were gone, I helped Shimizu with her managerial duties. I organized the water bottles and towels while Shimizu passed out the mesh jerseys they would wear over their shirts.

Watching the boys, I couldn’t help but let out a small, breathy laugh at Tsukishima. He was only a few steps away and got annoyed knowing it was directed at him.

“What?”

I set the last towel down and took a couple steps toward him, reaching for the tag that was sticking up behind his neck. Walking behind him, I gave it a tug as I passed, on my way back to Shimizu. I didn’t have to say anything for him to realize he put his jersey on inside out.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Shimizu-senpai?”

“Not really. I just have to get my notes together and prepare them for the match-“

“Oi, is there anything effective you could say to that first-year as the manager?” Daichi interrupted, rushing over. Hinata had returned and started malfunctioning again, despite whatever the captain tried.

Shimizu approached Hinata and got his attention, “Hey, there.” She put a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’m counting on you.” I don’t know if she was just not paying attention to all the trauma Hinata had been through or if she secretly enjoyed watching others suffer, because Hinata all but self-destructed when the beauty laid out such heavy words, and I thought he was going to implode on the spot.

I had planned to try and patch up the damage, but a whistle was blown and all the players had to line up. My lanky friend was straggling behind the others, so I jogged up to him before he got too far, “Oi. Good luck.” I put a fist out for him to bump. It was almost some unspoken ritual before the beginning of his and Yamaguchi’s games. He looked at my fist and sighed, tapping his curled knuckles against mine and walking away to catch up to his teammates, looking as passive as ever. I rolled my eyes and met up with Yamaguchi on the sidelines, holding a fist out to him as well. Neither of us had to say anything to know what it meant.

“We will now begin the practice match of Karasuno High School versus Aoba Johsai High School.”


	6. Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The winner of the practice match is decided and Karasuno rides home.

The other team looked composed and organized. Karasuno’s boys looked unsystematic and mostly incompetent. I didn’t want to say it, but we didn’t look evenly matched. Things immediately became disastrous once the match started and Hinata’s nerves started interfering with his own team. I was practically watching through my fingers, and the other boys were getting frustrated. Things didn’t improve by the time Aoba Johsai was at their first match point: 24 to 13.

“Hey, you! That’s enough nervousness!” Kageyama finally blew up at Hinata.

“No! Give me another chance!”

I thought things were bad enough as they were, but the next person to serve was our trembling, “ultimate decoy,” who ended up whacking the ball right into the back of Kageyama’s head. Never mind the fact that Aoba Johsai won the set, time stood still as we waited for Kageyama to lose it. Hinata was mortified at what wrath would be unleashed upon him, and it was as though I could see his soul leave his body. Surely Kageyama had reached his limit with Hinata. It did absolutely no help when Tsukishima and Tanaka started teasing the setter and laughing at his misery. Sugawara and Daichi took it upon themselves to try and make them stop. While they were scolding them, Kageyama started stalking to the backline. I thought maybe by asking him if he needed medical attention I could distract him from murdering Hinata, but my voice didn’t carry far enough.

“Hey, Kageyama. W-W-Wait. Once we talk about this, you’ll understand. Kageyama! Stop!” Hinata pleaded, stepping away from the approaching first-year. When there was no more room to retreat, Kageyama loomed over the other boy and stared him down.

Kageyama informed him that he just did the worst thing he could’ve done. He even smacked the back of his head for emphasis. He asked him if he could think of anything scarier than what he just did and Hinata couldn’t think of anything. Kageyama continued to smack the back of his head with a creepy face, “In that case, you have no reason to be nervous anymore, do you? Because you’ve already done it. The scariest thing possible. So…” I took a step back when he finally raised his voice, “Get back to normal, dammit!”

By showing Hinata that he could handle the thing he feared most, he was able to convince Hinata to return to a less frazzled state of mind. Kageyama won’t send tosses to Hinata if Hinata is a mess. Hinata’s fear of screwing up and not being able to do the thing he loves had sent his brain into maximum overdrive.

The boys lined up to face the other team and bowed. Before they could switch sides of the court, Tanaka began to talk sternly to Hinata, who lowered himself to the floor. After all the times Tanaka had said something to Hinata and freaked him out, I was really worried he would undo what Kageyama had just done.

“Are you thinking you have to be as good as everyone else? As if you have the experience?”

“I-If I don’t, I’ll get switched with another player. I want to be in the match to the end,” I could completely understand where Hinata was coming from with that.

“Hey. Don’t underestimate us! We all know you’re a lousy player,” I was ready to smack my forehead, but refrained myself so I could continue handing out the players’ respective towels. “Daichi-san knows it, and yet he lets you play. As for getting switched for another player… Think about it when you get switched!” This time I really did smack my forehead. “So, don’t worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. You don’t have the brains for that. Listen to me. In volleyball, everybody on this side of the net is your ally. It doesn’t matter if you’re lousy. It doesn’t matter if you’re a nuisance. You can slow us down. But, to make up for those things, that’s why you have your team and your senpais! Go on. Call me Tanaka-senpai.”

To be honest, the ultimate message that came across was a positive one. Hinata had the support of his team and shouldn’t feel like he must win the match on his own. He put way too much pressure on himself. Hinata seemed to be in much better spirits, so I took a cautious step toward Kageyama.

“Are you in any pain? I can get you an icepack.” The look he gave me was unreadable, but I assumed he felt wary about my kindness because I’m friends with his bitter teammate, Tsukishima.

“I’m fine… Arigatō,” he was hasty to end it there and busied himself with strategizing with Hinata.

“Once the King puts his crown back on, his head will feel much better. Don’t worry about his majesty,” Tsukishima sidled up next to me when I went back to the bench, to return his water bottle. I was coming to terms with the fact that Tsukishima will never let Kageyama’s old title go and that I needed to just ignore it so he at least didn’t feel satisfied every time he brought it up. I just rolled my eyes and started wiping down some of the condensation that formed on the outside of some of the water bottles. “Is he the crush you did your hair for on Saturday?” I almost dropped the slippery water container I was taking care of because I was taken aback by his question, and he was gone before I could retort.

Again, I didn’t do anything too special to my hair that day. I know Tsukishima was just trying to get a rise out of me, and he may have won this round by making me flustered, but that didn’t mean he was correct. I didn’t like Kageyama that way, I know that. I had a crush or two in middle school, so I know what that feels like. I would feel kind of giddy whenever that person was around, I sometimes got shy and nervous, and I would get jealous when I couldn’t get closer of friends to them like others could. All crushes must be that way, and I wasn’t that way with anyone right now. Besides, crushes didn’t mean much anyway, so Tsukishima teasing me about a crush I don’t even have shouldn’t bother me in the slightest. I can’t imagine if Tsukki had a crush. I wonder what they would look and be like. I don’t know if he’s into someone taller or shorter, or someone with longer or shorter hair, or darker or lighter eyes and hair, or body type, or… I shouldn’t really care. Crushes are stupid.

The second set began and the first quick that Kageyama and Hinata attempted didn’t work. I thought Kageyama would blame Hinata, but he actually apologized and I wondered if that hit to his head did something. The second one they tried worked perfectly, and the other team had no idea what to make of this surprise. When they went into a quick team huddle to cheer, I wished I would've had my camera ready because Tsukishima looked very uncomfortable all close to everyone. I’d file that information away for another day. Our boys were keeping up, and even leading this set. Eventually, they won, but not without some bickering between Kageyama and Tsukishima, and I was there to congratulate them.

“Nice change of pace, huh?” Sugawara commented to me.

“I’ll say. I thought I was going to have to see my doctor about my blood pressure after today.” I appreciated him laughing.

Shimizu shared a few of her notes, Takeda said some encouraging words, and Daichi discussed their upcoming plan. When time was almost up, I started gathering all the water bottles to refill once the next set started. A moment later, there were gasps and cheering from the girls on the balcony. We all looked to Seijoh’s side of the court and saw that there was a new player who had arrived. He kind of seemed like a pretty-boy, but his looks were positively model-esque. He apparently was one of Kageyama’s old mentors, Oikawa Tooru, a third-year now, who taught Kageyama to serve and block. He was out for a small ankle injury, a sprain, but he got permission to return to volleyball. Kageyama explained he was an aggressive setter and had a personality worse than Tsukishima. I could foresee a struggle with this next set if Kageyama’s words and Oikawa’s popularity were any indication of things to come. If he got this much attention, he must be good.

“Long time no see, Tobio-chan. So nice to see you,” his personality didn’t seem too awful upon first impression, but I know people can be completely different between on and off the court. Oikawa had to go warm up, so our boys would have to get as much of a lead as they could before he’s able to play if they don’t want to have to compete against his skills.

The next set was starting, so I hurried to do the refills. I didn’t want to miss too much of the game. It was a little bit of a hassle, but I made it back before they got too far into the set. Upon seeing the scores, with only a one point difference between them, I knew it would be a neck-and-neck battle to the end. Luckily, we were leading at the moment. We kept it up until we had a four point lead at our match point. It’d be a miracle if we could end it here and not have to deal with Oikawa at all. There was a part of me that wanted to witness what made him so great, though. I wanted to know what this guy was made of in case we ever encountered him again. Sure, Kageyama knew him a few years ago, but he has a lot more experience now and won’t be the exact way he remembers him.

We lost the next point when Tsukishima couldn’t receive the opponent’s spike, and it was just in time for Oikawa to be put into play as a pinch-server and serve for the next rally. If Kageyama’s serves were any measure of what this guy was capable of, we were in some trouble defending against the one who taught him. Our receiving isn’t without flaws. It actually had a lot of them. Now, we had an elite player from a top four team applying even more pressure to that.

Speaking of pressure, I could not believe how much power was put into his serve. He even called Tsukishima out and aimed it right at him. There wasn’t a way for him to properly receive it and it ricocheted all the way up to the balcony rails. It looked like it hurt and my instincts told me to help, but I knew I couldn’t. Everyone was terrified of Oikawa’s extreme force and control. I saw Yamaguchi panicking and I put a hand on his shoulder for a moment.

“Tsukki,” he cringed.

“He’ll be okay,” I assured.

“Just as I thought. I watched part of the match. You, Number 6, and you, Number 5. You’re not good receivers, are you? You must be first-years,” Oikawa had been assessing Tsukishima and Hinata. He was quite perceptive. That charming grin that masked his seemingly evil behavior was off-putting. This frightened Hinata, and it only frustrated Tsukishima.

Things only got worse when Oikawa went for another serve at Tsukishima. Oikawa was practically playing with him now. It almost looked like this serve had more strength than the last. Even though Tsukishima tried, it blasted into his arm and deflected to the side, the force nearly knocked him back. I winced and tensed when the ball made contact.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi cried while clutching onto me.

Hinata tried to get Oikawa to aim at him to help Tsukishima out, and the gangly teen only looked irritated when Hinata tried to recite Tanaka’s affirmations from earlier. It bothers me that he can’t just appreciate his teammates for once.

When Daichi spoke next, I felt a reassuring wave pass over. Daichi kept a level head, thought of a strategy to try, and kept everyone together and from arguing any longer. They stood a bit farther back and Tsukishima was directed closer to the sidelines. If Oikawa was going to go for Tsukishima again, like we expected, then it narrows the target. Oikawa would have to be careful not to serve the ball out of bounds and give us our winning point, which forces him to use more accuracy. To raise the accuracy, he had to give up some power, which would allow Tsukishima to have a better chance of receiving. This worked. The ball rebounded straight up and was kept in play. Tsukishima did it, but I could tell he was still pissed when it became Seijoh’s chance ball.

Yamaguchi was starting to hurt me by holding on so tight, but I focused on the battle. It was close to becoming a spike into our court, but Hinata was able to defend with a one-touch. Not only that, as soon as his feet touched the floor he was sprinting to the other end of the net for a broad attack and avoiding all the blockers. Kageyama made the toss to him and Hinata actually aimed his serve right into the corner where Oikawa was. Hinata’s eyes were open and locked onto his target instead of closed, and the Seijoh captain didn’t move an inch. He had no time to. This was our winning point. It obviously caught him off-guard and the spectators made sounds of disbelief, once again. What they had done was impressive. Yamaguchi could finally let go. It felt good to disprove Oikawa’s underestimations.

Takeda gave a beautifully poetic speech to the team about connections and special encounters that could happen anywhere at any time and change something in the world. It made me think of the connections that I had with other people. Although they might not affect the whole world, maybe we could change each other’s worlds in way. Like how becoming and staying friends with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi is so important in my world. I hoped they felt that way about me too. Without them, I could’ve had a much lonelier life. Without my mom, with my dad being so busy, without having volleyball, and without having Tsukki and Tadashi, things could be drastically different.

After they thanked Takeda, they had to do a few cooldowns before we could go and load everything back onto the bus. Once everything was organized, Takeda went ahead while we put our bags back together. I took it upon myself to carry the medium sized crate containing the water bottles and a few extra sports drinks. It wasn’t that heavy now that they had consumed most of the beverages, but when Hinata and Tanaka were being rowdy, one of them accidentally bumped my shoulders forward and the shift in weight distribution in the crate almost had me dropping everything. Being surrounded by athletic boys with fairly quick reflexes, someone was instantly there. The only place Tsukishima’s hands could support the box and reposition it was over my own hands underneath the side edges. I was unbalanced and leaning forward from the stumble. I almost felt unnervingly too close when I could describe his eyes as fields of wheat drowning in a rich sunset through two black rimmed picture frames. We’re normally only ever this close when we’re bickering, and I’m surely not paying attention to this kind of thing when that happens. Not that I didn’t know the color of his eyes, I just never saw them in this light.

“Klutz.” That immediately pulled me from my thoughts and I caught him with some weirdly uncomfortable face, like the one he made when he was in the team huddle earlier. I couldn’t tell if he was nervous about being close, if the pressure on his forearms was that painful, or something else.

I softly cleared my throat, “Arigatō, _Prince Charming_.” I was able to straighten up and handle the container properly again. I was hyperaware that his hands were warm on mine until he let go to pick up his bag. Tanaka and Hinata apologized, and I suggested they try and be more careful. I eventually walked out with the boys and Shimizu, and I kept pace with Tsukishima.

“Take one of my instant cold packs when we get on the bus,” I wasn’t going to ask if he wanted one. I know he would immediately deny that Oikawa’s serves left any physical trace, but chances are he would bruise and reducing any swelling from the get-go would be ideal.

“I’m not a child. Leave me alone.” I barely bumped near his forearm with my side because I was still carrying the box, but he grimaced, “What the hell?” That proved my point and I said nothing else. He tried to trip me by stepping on the back of my sneakers, but I kept a step ahead near Yamaguchi and then started walking with Shimizu.

“Takeda-sensei complimented us, but frankly, if we were facing Seijoh and Oikawa in an all-out match, we’d be lacking,” Daichi’s words held truth. Our boys weren’t horrible, but compared to a well-composed Seijoh team with their captain leading them the whole time, it would’ve been a different story.

“Spoken like a true captain. You know your stuff,” Oikawa was waiting at the gates. To say the least, a few of the boys were ready to attack at his sudden presence. I found Oikawa to be rather arrogant when it came to volleyball, and it was annoying, but we’d save a lot of time and trouble if we just didn’t pick a fight right now. “Don’t be so hostile. Little guy, your last one-touch and broad attack were amazing. Let’s give it all we got the next time, right from the start, okay?”

Oikawa was smooth, but that glint made me cautious. He had a handsome face and usually talked cordially, but he technically was the enemy. “You didn’t get to see our set up. Yes, and be sure to improve your serves, too,” That was definitely aimed at Tsukishima and Hinata. “It’s true, your offense was amazing, but your receives aren’t polished. You’ll reach your limit very quickly. I’m not the only one who hits powerful serves. The Inter-High preliminaries are coming up soon. Don’t get eliminated, okay? Because I want to pulverize my dear underclassmen, setter-on-setter, in an official match,” Oikawa dramatically pointed at Kageyama.

“The receivers will train!” Hinata rushed to Tsukishima and grabbed his arm for emphasis.

Tsukishima went from glaring intensely to looking angrily uncomfortable that Hinata was touching him, “Oi, let go.”

“Receivers don’t improve overnight. Ask the captain. He should know,” I wanted to wipe that grin off Oikawa’s face. Of course they can’t radically progress with one practice, but we’ll damn well do our best until the next match and Oikawa better watch out. We’re going to try and make him eat his words, “There’s not much time left ‘til the tournament. I look forward to seeing you there.” With that Oikawa was returning to the school grounds.

Kageyama looked genuinely concerned, “Don’t let him get to you. He likes to razz people like that.” Perhaps Oikawa and Tsukishima were long-lost bothers.

It came as a wonder when Daichi chuckled in response, but he explained, “It’s true. We don’t have much time before the Inter-High preliminaries, but _he_ should be coming back soon.”

“Who’s coming back?” Hinata voiced what all us first-years were thinking.

“The Guardian Deity of Karasuno.” That was quite a title. He must be crazy good with defense. Still, one player couldn’t cover the whole team. Improvements still needed to be made.

We finally gathered at the bus and, after loading everything, we all made our way on. By a stroke of luck, Tsukishima sat in a two-person seat and I got on the bus before Yamaguchi. I know Tadashi would’ve sat next to him, and I didn’t want him getting caught in the crossfire if Tsukishima was resistant. The moment I sat down, I was rummaging through my bag. He tried to scoot away toward the window, but he was already nearly pressed up against the side.

“What’re you doing?” I didn’t respond to him, only pulled out the instant icepack. He knew exactly what I was doing. I popped the inner bag and started to shake it, “No.”

“Quit complaining and put the damn thing on your arm. It’ll help.”

“I said ‘No’.”

“I heard you the first couple times already,” I was staying calm and not reacting to his irritation. Yamaguchi sat in the single seat across the aisle and the bus soon started moving. “Here,” I held it out to him, maintaining politeness. He turned to stare out the window, attempting to just ignore me.

I gently tried to rest it on his arm for him. I figured he was just still pissed off about Oikawa getting the better of him and he was embarrassed over some masculinity or prideful issue because of my caring action. I thought once I made him take it he would be quietly appreciative, but he grabbed my wrist with his other hand and looked down on me.

“It’ll reduce any immediate swelling, so the bruise doesn’t spread. What’s your problem—? “

“Don’t touch me.” He released my wrist and slapped my hands away. I almost felt like he was pissed off at me personally. I was just trying to be kind, and I didn’t entirely understand because he never really acts this pissy toward me for no apparent reason. I looked across the aisle and Yamaguchi didn’t have an answer. He seemed just as confused.

Tsukishima was back to watching our surroundings drift by and the icepack was painfully cold in my hand now. I didn’t know whether to be upset with him or apologizing for something that I did. He wasn’t all weird until after our close encounter where he helped me from falling over with the drink crate. He had already put his hands on mine earlier, so I don’t know why I couldn’t simply lay a cold pack on his arm when we’ve known each other for years. He had an odd reaction back in the gym and I wasn’t sure if that was when something happened. I know I had felt something within me, but Tsukishima wouldn’t have those kinds of thoughts or feelings about me. He couldn’t look in my eyes and be transfixed, and he couldn’t get nervous because of me. He didn’t care about anything. I dropped the icepack on top of the bag that was in my lap and my eyes concentrated on the seat in front of me. I didn’t understand. I was probably thinking too much into it.

“Kei…” I barely ever called him by his first name. Whenever I did, it was serious, and he knew that.

A few minutes later, a thin arm invaded my vision and guardedly took the cold pack from the top of my bag and tentatively placed it on his forearm. Tsukishima didn’t look at me. The only explanation now could be that when I used his first name he knew I genuinely hadn’t meant any harm and had no idea what was wrong, and this was his way of apologizing. Whatever his reasoning was, I was just thankful he didn’t seem mad anymore.

“We good?” I asked.

“Mm,” he nodded once.

I relaxed into the seat and tried not to think much more for the rest of the trip home. Once we got a little closer to school, Yamaguchi started a conversation with me about the weekend and we made plans to hang out, the three of us. Tsukishima didn’t partake in the planning, but there was no doubt he overheard and would say something if he disagreed. Then again, he did seem highly distracted and caught up in his own thoughts to the point he might not have paid any attention to me or Yamaguchi.

When we returned to the school, I assisted Shimizu in properly cleaning and storing what we needed to while the boys did some light cleaning in the gym. We were in the complex that had all the club rooms and we were in a storage room specifically for the volleyball clubs. Here, we stored the water bottles, jerseys, and other supplies. The room was also used by the girls’ team for the same purpose. While we worked together, we made small talk for a while.

“Hoshimoto, you really like volleyball, yeah?”

I couldn’t help but light up when responding, “Very much. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’m really glad I can play it. It’s made such a difference in my life.”

“Difference?” she asked.

“I’m not lonely anymore.” It didn’t surprise me when Shimizu looked a bit unsure of how to continue. I hadn’t spoken in a particularly low-spirited way, but there was a slight change in my tone. I put the bag of used jerseys by the door to be washed, and that was the last of the housekeeping. “Let’s get out of here and get some grub.”

“I’m actually going straight home, so I’ll see you around. Arigatō for your help today.”

“It was my pleasure. Oyasumi nasai, Shimizu-senpai.”

“Kiyoko is fine. Oyasumi nasai.”

I was distracted by the thoughts that were brought up between Kiyoko and I, so I checked my phone for any messages I may have missed. My father had texted me saying he would be late, so I was going to be on my own for supper. The boys were finished and I reunited with my friends. I walked with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi while Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, Sugawara, and Daichi walked ahead of us.

“Ne, Akira-chan, what’re you going to get from Sakanoshita?”

“To be honest, chuuka-man sounds really good right now. Hopefully there are still some left. What about you, Tadashi?”

“I was thinking the same thing. Tsukki?”

Before he could say anything, his stomach growled and he looked angrily embarrassed. It probably didn’t matter what he ate, he was just hungry after the match. Yamaguchi and I laughed lightheartedly as we continued down the road.

“Do you actually want a meal, or are you just gonna skip to dessert and get shortcake?” I teased.

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t live off taiyaki and purin if you could.”

“Oi, I like yakisoba a lot too,” I wasn’t particularly helping my case, but I liked what I liked.

We arrived at the convenience store, and it turned out that there were, in fact, no chuuka-man left. I was really looking forward to one of those steamed buns, but we’d have to get some another day. I tried to remember what food we had back at home and what I could make instead, but then I became distracted by some keychains near the exit. I was inspecting one in particular when Yamaguchi put a hand on my shoulder and said that we were leaving.

We caught up to others to hear them talking about why Kageyama was attending Karasuno. Apparently, he hadn’t been invited to Shiratorizawa, and when he took the entrance exam to get in instead, he failed.

“I guess the King isn’t very good at studies,” Tsukishima commented as we passed by. It did seem kind of humorous that Kageyama could be a genius on the court and be so poor at academics, but everyone had their strengths and weaknesses.

Yamaguchi’s phone went off as we got a bit farther. It was his mother calling to ask him if he had eaten. He hadn’t, so he told her that, and Tsukishima and I ended up being invited over for a homecooked meal. Lucky~

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. (:  
> Comments are encouraged, either positive or constructive. I'd love to know what you think.


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